Action City Read online

  Action City

  Sam Silver

  Amazon Edition

  Copyright 2014 Sam Silver

  Amazon Edition Published 2015

  License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author's imagination and used fictitiously.

  The Author has taken all reasonable steps to ensure no intellectual property or other rights have been infringed in the preparation and publication of this eBook, and is not responsible for the work of third parties involved in the preparation and publication of this eBook.

  A big thank you to all those people who helped to bring this novel to the world. You know who you are.

  Please note that I have used Australian spelling throughout.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One - Broken Wings

  Chapter Two - Hell is No Place for Angels

  Chapter Three - The Last Courtyard

  Chapter Four - The Midnight Hour

  Chapter Five - Alley Cats and Sewer Rats

  Chapter Six - Not Dead, Just Screwed

  Chapter Seven - Fragmented

  Chapter Eight - Mountainous Resistance

  Chapter Nine - Rock Music

  Chapter Ten - Rock & Roll Babylon

  Chapter Eleven - 11:59

  Chapter Twelve - The Screaming Child of Babylon

  Chapter Thirteen - Capital Resistance

  Chapter Fourteen - The Dragon's Breath and The Blacksmith's Forge

  Chapter Fifteen - Systemic Failure

  Chapter Sixteen - The Resurrection of Home

  Chapter Seventeen - From a Stone to a Sparrow

  Chapter One

  Broken Wings

  BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

  SMACK!

  The alarm clock fell to the ground and changed settings as Kimie looked up groggily from under a mass of blankets. Her blonde, curly hair covered her face as she groaned wearily and rolled over to stare up at the ceiling.

  "Welcome back to the world kid. Another day in friggin' paradise."

  KNOCK, KNOCK!

  "Come on Kimie, time for school!"

  "Grrraaaah! Just gimme a second Mum!"

  "Now!"

  She threw the pillow at the door and sat up as the music played from her fallen alarm clock.

  "Suddenly there's a shadow falling..."

  "Kimie, you should have breakfast!"

  "I don't have time. See ya!"

  "Kimie..."

  She ran out the door and into the front garden, carrying her bag over her shoulder. The ripped knees of her jeans fluttered in the cool breeze which felt refreshing as she straightened the shoulder of her leather jacket and headed towards the school bus. It pulled up with a hiss and she jumped on, giving a coin to the bus driver.

  "One please."

  He handed her a ticket and she made her way down the aisle, past the face of a leering boy.

  "Hey Kimie, ready to shake 'em for me later?"

  "No, just punch 'em," she shot back, and then sat at the back of the bus next to a dark-haired girl around her own age.

  "Oooh," the boy grinned. "Feisty."

  Wearily Kimie rested her head on the metal railing in front of her as the bus took off.

  "Your old lady still giving you a hard time?" the other girl asked.

  "Yuh huh," came the response.

  "Thought so. You didn't spend as much time on your hair this morning."

  "Rub it in why don't ya?"

  "Relax. My report sucked too. Looks like we're both screwed, huh?"

  "Just keep rubbing it in Allie." She looked out of the window at the run down houses. Most looked battered and some even had screaming coming from inside.

  "God," Kimie whispered, "there's got to be more to life than this."

  "More to life than being dumped on by boys, bullies, bone-headed teachers and loud-mouth parents, please! Just us against the world Kimie, just us against the world."

  A spitball flew past their heads. Angrily Kimie leapt up and punched a boy in the arm, hard.

  "Knock it off!" she yelled.

  He glared back at her and raised his fist.

  "Try it!" she snapped, raising hers and staring him down.

  "Screw you," he shot back, and then turned around.

  "You see?" Allie said. "How's your old man?"

  "I don't want to think about it," Kimie answered. "He's still in hospital of course. Hasn't worked in ages and can't keep up the alimony for us. If this keeps up I'll have to get a job or something."

  "You mean leave school?"

  "What other choice do I have? Too many bills and not enough breaks Allie, and it's not getting any easier that's for sure."

  A spitball hit her.

  "WATCH IT DIPSTICK!"

  She punched the boy’s arm harder.

  The bus screeched to a halt.

  "Just us against the world," Allie repeated.

  Kimie shoved her way into a classroom and spent the next hour listening to Mr Matheson drone on about physics. All through it she kept tapping her pen wearily against her pad as she looked dreamily out of the window to the concrete buildings and basketball courts beyond.

  The next class, English, wasn't much better, then there was recess where she sat glumly on the oval which was opposite a construction site. Following this there was Maths where her teacher was especially tough on her for some reason. He scolded her for not trying hard enough and told her to come back at lunchtime. She never did.

  In the final class of the day, Art, Gina Jones and several other girls kept making sniggering comments about her. Kimie snapped and threw a tin of paint at her which then erupted into a full blown scuffle that overturned several tables as all the kids encircled them, screaming for a fight. Several teachers ran in as the room exploded into chaos.

  "Why are you here Kimie?"

  Mr Aldermarten looked over at her from across the principal's desk with his arms folded. Defensively, Kimie folded her own arms and crossed her legs.

  "Are you going to answer me or are we going to sit here all day?" he asked.

  "Up to you," she answered.

  He sighed and tapped her file on his desk with his finger.

  "Three fights in a fortnight. Several complaints from your teachers and failing grades. Doesn't look good does it?"

  She remained silent.

  "So I'll ask you again Kimie, why are you here?"

  She shook her head. He continued.

  "Clearly you don't want to be here. Why are you wasting our time?"

  "Maybe you're wasting mine!" she shot back.

  "There's no call to be rude..."

  "Oh really? You're telling me to put more effort into a place that doesn't give a stuff about me. Why should I do that?"

  "Kimie..."

  "No, you listen! Why should I come here every day to try and make the school look good when it's clearly screwing me over?"

  He sighed. "What is it then Kimie? Trouble at home?"

  "Trouble everywhere."

  "If it's financial difficulties have you thought about getting a job?"

  "Thought it, tried it, didn't get it."

  "Then I don't know what else to say. You're a smart girl but you just have a problem with your attitude."

  "You can talk!"

  "And unless that changes Kimie, you're going to have a lot of problems from here on in. It's not too late."

  "For what? To change into what you want me to be? What about what I want me to be?"

  "Freedom of expression is fine in the appropriate place and time, but if you indulge in it too much..."

  "And what? Feral kids running around out of control in a drunken stupor right?"

  "That's not what I meant."

  "Like hell you didn't."

  "Language..."

  "I don't do drugs and I never drink...sir!"

  "But we've still got a problem haven't we?"

  "No, you have a problem, this school has a problem, everyone in it has a problem! It's all sick and for some reason, some god awful reason, which I don't know, I get the blame for it all. Blame the victim, right sir?"

  He stared at her.

  "RIGHT SIR?"

  He paused for some time.

  "Then I think that's all we have to say on the matter Kimie. I see no course of action but to suspend you indefinitely. I'll inform your mother straight away."

  "Get bent!"

  She stood up angrily, kicked the chair away, threw her bag over her shoulder and strode out the door, slamming it behind her.

  "What's the matter Kimie?"

  Allie ran after her friend as she walked across the oval.

  "Just got kicked out of school," came the sullen response.

  Allie gasped in shock. "That fight wasn't your fault..."

  "Tell pit-bull that. It's okay, I don't want to come back."

  "But where will you go? What you gonna do Kimie?"

  "I'll think of something." She turned to her. "Bye Allie. Thanks for...for...you know."

  "Yeah, I know." They hugged. "Look after
yourself."

  "You too."

  They parted.

  "What are you gonna tell your Mum?"

  "God knows."

  "Maybe if you get a job first it'll lessen the blow."

  "That's if someone'll hire me. Catch ya."

  "Yeah, bye Kimie."

  Some time later Kimie sat on a park bench on a hill, overlooking an empty playground. The swings creaked eerily as she swung back and forth, eating her sandwich and looking at the run-down and broken houses and then out at the city far on the horizon. Its gleaming towers glistened brilliantly in the sunlight, radiating out into the world for all to see.

  Then came the wail of police sirens nearby.

  She lowered her head and continued eating her sandwich.

  "You can only see him for a few moments. He needs to rest."

  Kimie nodded and held the strap of her bag tightly over her shoulder as she walked over to the hospital bed. The man turned his head, opened his eyes and smiled.

  "Hey Kimie," he said softly.

  "Hey Dad," she said back. "You okay?"

  "Don't know kid. Got to have more tests done. Why aren't you at school?"

  "Pupil free day."

  "Liar. I know, because it runs in the family. What happened?"

  "Nothing."

  "Got kicked out didn't you?"

  Silence

  "What's that gonna do to your mother?" he sighed. "She struggles enough as it is. You were her only hope."

  "You could have stayed."

  "No, I couldn't have, but I would have helped. Still want to."

  He looked out the window.

  "You scared Dad?" she asked.

  He shook his head. "No. You?"

  "Course not."

  "Another lie." He looked back at her. "This world may seem bad now Kimie, but it won't always be like this. Reality is so much bigger than we are."

  "So why's it dumping on me?"

  He smiled. "Maybe it expects great things of you. Maybe it's like a test and if you pass you get rewarded."

  "I hate tests. Sucks worse when I don't even know I'm being tested."

  "It's usually the way. I have a feeling you'll pass. You're smart Kimie, way too smart for me. You'll do great things, I'm sure of it."

  "Yeah, whatever you reckon."

  She folded her arms tightly. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

  "Once I thought as you did Kimie. I thought there was nothing but rejection and isolation. I thought that the world was out to get me and just me. Faces leered and they were ugly, all while big, black clouds floated around me. Then I found hope. I found a place which showed me life, and beauty, and it allowed me to be me again. I found that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow Kimie, oh God I found it."

  "Then why are you here?"

  "Because it came at a price. You see, after I moved out, I went travelling for a while but I didn't have to go far. It was right there under my nose the whole time, only I couldn't see it. Guess it's hard to see what's on your face when you're always looking outwards. I could have stayed there forever but I came back for your mother and you. The downside was that I was left wide open and vulnerable to the toxicity of the world around us. Got sick and that was that. But I'm going back there Kimie. I'm going back and nothing's gonna stop me."

  "Where is this place, Dad?"

  "Just on the horizon," he answered. "If you look hard enough you can see it sparkling in the distance. It's always there but few people see what it is, what it really is. Castles of learning and palaces of glory, that's how I see it. A place where the towers of heaven unfold and light up into a shining beacon of hope. The culture we live in is in decay. It's falling away, even you can see that. But there's another place Kimie, another place that's coming."

  "What place are you talking about Dad?"

  His voice lowered to a whisper. "The City."

  Kimie blinked, unsure of what to say. For a moment she wondered if he was delirious. Crossly she asked,

  "The City? What? The one that's sitting out there, screwing us over?"

  "No, no, no, Kimie..."

  "Have they brainwashed you or something? Or are you just sicker than I thought?"

  "Of course not. This goes way beyond any trivial conspiracy theory Kimie. The City is the front line in a change that's happening even as we speak."

  "But what is happening?"

  "What's not? Everything changes. Everything moves faster than we can comprehend. We're only tiny but still very important pieces of a giant puzzle that's forming into a beautiful picture."

  "And you learnt this in the City?"

  "Yes."

  "But what makes it different from any other city?"

  He laughed. "There's a big, big difference Kimie. The City doesn't seek to assimilate or destroy opposition, it embraces it and helps it to grow. On the surface it's the same as any other city, but underneath it there's something magical. You'll find out when you get there."

  "Get there?" Kimie cried in disbelief. "I'm not going there!"

  "You won't have a choice. The City will call you and, some way or another, it's where you'll end up."

  "But I...I..."

  "What's holding you here?"

  "Mum for one thing!"

  "You can help her by heading for the City straight away. Once you find out what it is, what it really is and you finally know the truth, you'll have saved us all."

  She shook her head, stood up and backed away, hugging her bag tightly.

  "I can't."

  "You will."

  "No, sorry Dad, I can't. I love you."

  She turned and ran out.

  Kimie hurried through the back streets and alleyways, alone and confused. A thousand thoughts raced through her head as the passing faces leered at her. Some were looking down on her, others were looking up, while others looked at her with mischievous grins which unnerved her. She clutched her bag tightly and walked through the brown bits of old newspapers that were drifting along in the breeze and headed into a small café on the corner.

  The door creaked open as she entered a dull grey area and walked over to the counter. Apart from the big man behind it, the café was empty.

  "What'll it be?" he asked firmly.

  "Hey," she said quickly. "Uh...my name's Kimie. I'm looking for work. Can I help you out?"

  He sighed heavily and crossed his arms.

  "What? You just get kicked out of school or somethin'?"

  "Just wanted to help out, that's all. I'll work real hard for as much as you think I'm worth."

  "Don't think you're worth that much, kid. What, you want somethin' to feed your habit, huh?"

  "I don't do drugs."

  "They all say that."

  "No really, I don't. I...I just need a job real bad."

  "Sorry. No vacancies."

  Her face hardened and she slammed her hand down on the counter and then turned away, ready to storm out, but then she stopped and turned back.

  "Fine," she said wearily. "Could you get me a burger and chips then? Would that be okay?"

  He nodded. "Sure kid. Take a seat."

  She sighed heavily and walked over to a table where she dumped her bag down. In the reflection of a cracked window she shuddered and stood up.

  "Hey...uh, you got a bathroom around here? I'd like to freshen up."

  "Freshen up with what?"

  She held up a small phial and unrolled it. "Lipgloss. You wanna search me for anything else?"

  "Through there," he said, pointing to a door down the end of a small corridor.

  "Thank you."

  "Your bag stays here."

  "Whatever."

  She walked past him and dropped it behind the counter before heading down the corridor and into the restroom. She had only just closed the door when the sound of a car breaking hard came from outside and then the door to the café opened. Curiously she opened the door to the bathroom, peered through the crack and saw three people enter the café. Two of them were big, muscular men in suits, while the other was a female with dark sunglasses. She was dressed entirely in black with a long dark coat, and had striking blonde hair which went down to her shoulders.

  She spoke coolly. "What a swell party this is."

  The man behind the counter slammed his hand down.

  "What the hell are you doing here? You wanna get your head shot off?"

  "No, just shot at, Sam. Gimme a coffee." She walked over to a table where one of the men pulled out a chair for her. She sat down with one on of them either side. "Place still looks crude, run down, dirty, falling apart and smelling of God knows what with food that looks like it just fell off the back of an animal. I like it. Just what I need."